US2234791A

US2234791A - Clip for windshield wipers

Info

Publication number: US2234791A
Application number: US346943A
Authority: US
Inventors: Zaiger Max
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-07-23
Filing date: 1940-07-23
Publication date: 1941-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 1958-03-11

Description

March 11, 1941. M. ZAEGER CLIP FOR WINDSHIELD WIPERS Filed July 23, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l H, 19M. M. ZMGER 2234,71

CLIP FOR WINDSHIELD WIPERS h Filed July 23, 19M) 2 Sheetsr-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

is invention relates to windshield wipers and pertains more particularly to improvements in n; i ectors for removably attaching a wiper arm to a wiper blade. The principal purpose of the 5 invention is to provide a simple, economical, and emcicnt connector which is flexibly attached to the wiper blade in such a manner that'the blade may rocir or tilt angularly with respect to the clip, and which is removably attachable to a wiper o arm,

tine object of the invention is to iurnlsh a twopart, rocking connector, one part of which may be attached to the holder or shell of the blade either directly or through the medium of yoke m members which transmit pressure at two widely spaced points; and the other part or which may be assembled with the first partand adjusted to proper tension before said first part is attached to the blade.

'30 Another object is to provide such a connector with a spring or other resilient member adapted i to restrain relative angular movement between the two parts, the spring being so located that it is not readily discernible and is not 25 likely to become dislodged during use.

ilurther objects of the invention reside in the structural features of the connectors hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings, such features being pointed out in the 39 appended claims.

in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a wiper blade and wiper arm connected together by the improved clip;

35 lie. 2 is an enlarged transverse section taken on line 2-4 of Fig. 1 with the wiper arm omitted and showing the wiper blade tilted with respect to the clip;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the connector and parts of the wiper arm and blade in central longitudinal section;

Fig. i is a perspective view of the clip element oi the connector, prior to its assembly and attachment to the blade;

to Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a spring member forming part of the connector;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the saddle element of the connector with the sides thereof flexed apart at one end to permit easy assembly of the clip 50 member therewith;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a wiper blade equipped with a modified form of connector comprising a saddle member having yoke-like arms;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the saddle member of to Fig.7 to larger scale; and

(Cl. 15--25(i) FiFig. Si is an enlarged section on line 9-9 of In the particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration in Figs. 1 to 5, the improved connector is employed 5 for removably attaching a wiper arm it having a U-shaped attaching portion i2 and a central hook member It, to a wiper blade comprising a rubber Wiping element it formed with a series of laterally protecting fins i5, and a metal 10 holder or shell it crimped over the inner edge oi the wiper it.

The connector comprises a saddle member or sub-clip having spaced sides i'i which straddle the shell of the wiper blade and which are fixedly attached thereto by a central rivet i8 and by inwardly struck detents is engaging in a groove of the holder and preventing the saddle member irom turning on the rivet l8; the top of the saddle member l'l having a central opening 2i, pro- 20 vidin a pair of separated bridge members 22, spaced from the top of the blade holder ii at the opposite ends of said member. The bridge members 22 are firmly held in spaced relation with respect to the blade holder by reason of the fixed attachment of the sides of the saddle member to said holder, thereby providing a pair of underlyins P ckets 33; one of said bridge members is preferably divided longitudinally at 23 (Figs. 2 and 6) and the extreme outer ends of said bridge members may be curved downwardly, but preferably terminated short of the top of the blade holder Hi; It will be understood that rivets or other fastenings (not shown) may be used in place of the detents I9, in which event the center rivet may be omitted.

A clip member 24, preferably shaped from sheet metal and having spaced sides 25 integrally connected by a base 26 and held in spaced relation by inwardly bent, abutting

tongues

21, 28 and 2B, at the ends and top of the clip, is flexibly connected to the saddle member H. The two parts I! and 24 are preferably assembled before the saddle member is attached to the blade holder, by fitting the body of the clip into the opening 2| 5 between the bridge members of the saddle, so that the projecting ends 30 of the clip base 26 are loosely received in the pockets 33 under the respective bridge members 22. The assembly is readily accomplished by flexing the sides of th; saddle members ll outwardly at the end carrying the divided bridge, said end being spread/apart at the slit 23 to accommodate one end 3' of the clip base, which is dropped between the separated portions of the bridge.

The clip sides have wing portions 34, overhanging the bridge members 22, so that the web portion 35 located between said bridge members may be relatively short as compared with the length of the clip; and said wings also constitute stop members limitin rocking movement of the saddle member and blade with respect to the clip, and cooperate with the bridge members of the saddle to hold the clip and saddle in assembled relation, prior to the attachment of the assembly to the blade.

A leaf spring 3| or other resilient element is inserted intermediate the clip sides 25 and between the base 26 and the bridge members 22, with the central'portion oi the bowed spring bearing against said base 26 and the ends of said spring engaging under said bridges, as best shown in Fig. 3. The spring tends to press the clip base 26 toward the top of the holder l6 and thus holds the clip in normal position parallel to the blade, but readily yields to permit relative rocking movement between the wiper blade and the clip, as indicated in Fig. 2, when the wiper I5 is reciprocated across the surface of the windshield in the usual manner.

The U-shaped end l2 of the wiper arm straddles thesides 25 of the clip at the upper portion thereof, and the hook I 3 which is received between said sides engages under the cross member formed by the abutting tongues 29 and behind the cross member formed by the tongues 28, thereby removably to connect the wiper arm to the clip and to the wiper blade. As the flexible connection between the clip 24 and the saddle member Il ensures adequate rocking or tilting movement of the wiper, the attachment between the end of the wiper arm and the clip may be and preferably is firm and unyielding so that accidental detachment of the wiper arm is un- 46 likely. The wiper arm may, however, be readily separated from the clip by tilting the arm upwardly (Fig. l) to disengage the hook l3 and free the sides of the U-shaped member I 2 from the sides of the clip 24 which they closely embrace.

In the modified form of connector illustrated in Figs. '7 to 9, the saddle member comprises a central box-like portion 38 and extended arms or 0 yoke portions 39 having forked ends 40 which straddle the holder 4| of the wiper blade and are attached thereto by rivets 42. Said member is preferably formed from a blank of sheet metal, the yoke portions being bowed transversely and 55 the box portion 38 consisting of upwardly bent sides 43 having inwardly

bent end tongues

44 and 45 respectively which abut each other and constitute bridge members corresponding to the bridge members 22 of the saddle member I1.

60 The tongue or

bridge portions

44 and 45 are spaced-above the base 48 of the box 38 and the outer ends thereof curve downwardly at 46 and 41, respectively (Fig. 9), to form pockets similar to the pockets 33 of the saddle member IT.

The clip 24 is assembled with the modified saddle member in substantially the same manner as described in connection with Figs. 1 to 6, and a tensioning spring 49 is similarly applied to hold the parts in normal position while permitting 70 tilting or rocking movement 01' the saddle and 75 at two widely spaced points, thereby insuring substantially uniform pressure on the windshield throughout the length of the blade.

It will be apparent that a connector of the character above described provides a secure but yielding attachment between the wiper arm and the wiper blade, and permits adequate angular or rocking movement between the two parts of the connector, said movement being controlled and tensioned by a spring or other resilient member disposed between the two parts and so located that it is unlikely to be dislodged and is normally concealed from view. The clip and saddle are so constructed that they may be assembled, together with the spring, before the saddle is aflixed to the blade, thus permitting proper relative adjustment of the operative relationship of the parts, and ensuring that the adjustment will be maintained when the assembled connector is applied to the blade. It will also be understood that the clip herein described is adapted to receive and retain a wiper arm having a hooked end without the U-shaped portion l2, or a wiping arm having a saddle type end which may be attached to the clip by a bolt (not shown) passing through aligned openings 32 in the clip sides 25.

I claim:

1. A connector for attaching a wiper arm to a wiper blade, comprising a saddle fixed to the blade and a clip to which the wiper arm is removably connectable, the saddle having longitudinally spaced bridge members defining underlying pockets at its opposite ends, and the clip having spaced parallel sides and a base integral therewith, the base having projecting ends loosely received in the respective pockets beneath the bridge members, and the sides having projecting wings overhanging the respective bridge members, and a resilient member disposed between said sides and bearing on said base, said resilient member also extending into the respective pockets and bearing on the under side of said bridge members, thereby yieldingly to hold the parts in normal position while permitting relative angular movement therebetween when the blade is oscillated over the surface of a windshield.

2. A connector for attaching a wiper arm to a wiper blade, comprising a saddle fixed to the blade and a clip to which the wiper arm is removably connectable, the saddle having longitudinally spaced bridge members defining underlying pockets at its opposite ends, and the clip having a base formed with projecting ends loosely received in the respective pockets of the saddle, and a resilient member disposed over the base oi the clip and under said bridge members so that the central portion of the resilient member bears on the clip base and the end portions thereof bear on said bridge members within said pockets, thereby yieldingly to hold the parts in normal position while permitting relative angular movement therebetween when the blade is oscillated over the surface of a windshield, one of said bridge members being divided longitudinally so that the divided portions may be spread apart to admit the end of the clip base into the pocket under said bridge member.

3. A connector for attachinga wiper arm to a wiper blade, comprising a saddle fixed to the wiper blade and having a pair of separated bridge members permanently spaced from the top of the blade, a clip to which the wiper arm is removably connectable, said clip having a base received between said bridge portions and formed with projecting ends located in the spaces between the respective bridge portions and the top of the wiper blade, and a resilient member interposed between said base and said bridge portions and bearing thereon, thereby yieldingly to hold the parts in normal position while permitting relative angular movement therebetween when the blade is oscillated over the surface of a windshield, the clip having sides formed with outwardly projecting wings overhanging the bridge members and engageable therewith to limit such movement and also to hold the parts in. assembled relation before the saddle is attached to the blade.

4L. A connector for attaching a wiper arm to a wiper blade, comprising a saddle fixed to the blade and a clip to which the wiper arm is removably connectable, the saddle having longitudinally spaced bridge members defining underlying pockets at its opposite ends, and the clip having spaced parallel sides and a base integral therewith, the base having projecting ends loosely received in the respective pockets beneath the bridge members, and the sides having projecting wings overhanging the respective bridge members and engageable therewith to limit angular movement of the clip relative to the saddle, and a resilient member bearing against the base of said clip for yieldingly holding the parts in normal position while permitting relative angular movement therebetween when the blade is oscillated over the surface of a windshield.

MAX ZAIGER.